A Special Yule Ball
by Laurenke1
Summary: Harry Potter is Champion of Hogwarts in his fourth year and he has to ask a partner for the Yule Ball? Who is he going to ask and will it go as planned? One shot and slash and AU warning. SSHP


**Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Harry Potter.**

**Note: So this is just a fragment of my imagination when I was rereading the Goblet of Fire. My slashy imagination went on a riot after I read the quote that I put in Italic and especially when it doesn't state anywhere that you can't ask a teacher. This takes place in the Yule Ball at Harry's fourth year when he is 14 years old. **

**Title: The Special Yule Ball**

**Summary: Harry Potter is champion of Hogwarts and he has to ask a partner to the Yule Ball. Who is he going to ask? And will it work out like he had hoped it would? **

**Author: Laurenke1**

**Warnings: Slash (through nothing beyond a kiss). Follows the books and just kinds of fills in the blanks. **

**Pairing: Severus Snape/ Harry Potter. **

"_You are a Hogwarts Champion and you will do what is expected of you as a representative of the school. So make sure you__ get yourself a partner, Potter." Professor Minerva McGonagall to Harry Potter. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, page 424._

Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived and Triwizard Tournament Champion had overall Gryffindor qualities, except for one. That quality or rather person was a Slytherin and a Slytherin to the core. Said person was head of Slytherin House, Professor Severus Snape. 

Professor Severus Snape was the Potions Master at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry and as stated before head of Slytherin House. The Potions Master was sarcastic, nasty, cruel and unkind. He was a tall, thin man with a hooked nose, greasy hair and black fathomless eyes that only sparkled in anger whenever Harry was in sight. 

Yet this didn't bother Harry Potter, well it had bothered him before but not any more, somewhere along the lines he had developed a crush on his teacher. A no, not just any crush but something all consuming, mind blowing obsessive love, however secret it might be. 

Since Harry was the overall Gryffindor Champion he couldn't tell his best friends that his secret crush was a Slytherin, however much Harry might want to. The fact that his friends, and therefore the rest of the wizarding world knew nothing about his crush explained why Harry was currently standing out of the said professor's office while nervously wringing his hands. Through it might have had something to do with the fact that he received bottom marks in his test today and Professor Snape wanted to see him about that. 

He knocked on the door, opening the door when the command was given and entered the dungeon office. Many small and slimy things were sitting in jars against the wall and Harry quickly looked away from this sight to the professor sitting behind the desk. 

"Close the door behind you, Potter!" The silky smooth voice washed over Harry as the owner of said voice continued to glance down at the paper he was grading. 

Harry approached the desk as Snape put the quill he had been using and capped his ink stand and whispered, finally looking up at Harry through the curtain of greasy hair. "Tell me, Potter, why did you think that as a Hogwarts Champion you were free from the end of the year exams but that you could also fail other tests?" 

"I didn't think that…." Harry begun as something in Snape's shallow face twisted and the teacher was on his feet. 

"To that I must agree, you didn't think, Potter! You may not like my class but I am not about to be called to the headmaster because his golden boy refuses to pass an exam any fourth year student with half a brain can pass! Did you think that my subject is of less importance simply because you are Harry Potter?" Snape had crossed around the desk and was looking at some of the shelves, fingers outstretched to pluck a bottle of the shelves and Harry felt his stomach drop. 

"What have we been reviewing in class for the past few weeks, Mister Potter?" Snape asked smoothly, turning with a bottle in hand and approached Harry, robes billowing about him. 

"Antidotes, sir." Harry answered, trying to quell the nervous feelings in his stomach as Snape approached. The teacher settled himself against the desk, fingers playing with the bottle and a superior smirk crossing his lips that made Harry swallow thickly, and this wasn't good. 

"And what has your research yielded to you about antidotes against burning salves?" Snape lifted the bottle to eyelevel and Harry could see the thick creamy past in the bottle. He knew from his books that such a paste, when applied on skin would burn unless the right antidote was applied on it. The antidote was a simple plant, a weed that supposed to be chewed and then applied, with spit on the affected area. Water couldn't help the affects of the burning paste, only making the salve disappear while the burn persisted.

"That the plant called cottonweed can be used to make the pain and the burn disappears…" Harry couldn't help but shift into his seat nervously.

Snape raised an eyebrow and then said. "In essence it is correct. But unlike most weeds, this burning salve will only go away when a certain part of the weed is applied to the skin. It is up to you to find out what it is, extend your arm, Potter, sleeve rolled up." 

"But sir, why would you give me another change?" Harry blurted out, cradling his arm protectively against his chest. 

"Potter, you don't deserve another change if your life depended on it. I am only saving myself the trouble I will get into when the headmaster finds out I have a good reason to fail you this year, now extend your arm!" Snape growled and Harry did as requested. 

He could barely suppress a shiver when Snape's cool fingers applied the salve to his skin which started to itch and burn terribly. Harry resisted the urge to scratch the skin, knowing it would only get worse. "You may begin." Snape sneered as Harry's eyes watered. 

He got to his feet unsteadily, arm burning from where the salve had been applied and hurried into the storage room. The floor to ceiling shelves made him moan as he begun to search for the cotton weed. 

Time passed unsteadily for Harry as his arm began to throb, the itching had died away to a searing pain and as Harry looked at his skin, he could see red marred the otherwise smooth skin. He knew better then to touch it so instead he searching on. 

For a moment Harry thought Snape had taken pity on him when the Potions Master appeared in the doorway but Snape only plucked something from the shelves closest to the door and then went back into his office. 

Feeling sweat falling down his neck, Harry moaned when he found the cottonweed. The small plant was green with fluffy balls of cotton on the end. He blinked furiously to stop his eyes from watering and fingered the ends of the cottonweed, the fluffy side. Normally he would use the leaves but this time, he suspected that bursting open the fluffy cottonseeds would ease the burning. 

He hastily puckered the cotton ball and opened his mouth, biting on it as the seeds opened. He mouth was flooded with the horrid taste of healing paste and Harry quickly spit on his arm, rubbing it on as the seeds began to sooth the irritated area immediately. He heaved a relieved moan, rubbing at the one spot until all the burning disappeared before walking back to the office, his steps a bit unsteadily.

"Done, Potter?" Snape asked, glancing up at him when Harry finally emerged from the storage space. The dark eyes narrowed slightly as Harry approached the desk, sitting down heavily upon the chair before looking up at Snape. 

He felt horribly, his arm was throbbing with the aftermath of the pain and his mouth was extremely dry. He had to work hard to make the words come out as Snape frowned at him. "Yes, sir, can I be dismissed?" 

"No, you will drink this to make sure that you will not collapse on your way to the common room and then I will give you your marks." Snape got to his feet and as Harry drank the contents of the bottle that was presented to him, feeling the strengthening potion strengthen him immediately as dry fingers examined the skin that had been subjected to the burning paste.

Harry suppressed a shiver at the touch as Snape then said. "Adequate, Potter. Better then I would have expected from you. It seems when you are presented with the fear of your own safety or those of your friends, you can rise up to the challenge." 

Harry didn't know what else to say until Snape rubbed some other salve that he had taken from his pocket in his robe on his arm and despite himself Harry hissed loudly in protest when his skin flared up and for a moment he feared that Snape would give him another test as the dark head snapped up and Harry tugged his arm back. 

Instead Snape tightened his grip, asking. "Does that hurt?" 

Instead of the patronizing tone Harry had expected, Snape's voice was curious and controlled, even a little bit surprised and Harry nodded. "It isn't supposed to. It is supposed to sooth the skin. Hold on and stay here, Potter." 

Snape got to his feet, releasing Harry's hand who merely tugged it back, drowning the other half of the strengthening potion. He had a moment to carefully access his position, how he always managed to get hurt when all he supposed to do was to go to the office of Severus Snape and take a writing test, not a real exam.

Snape returned noiselessly and Harry startled badly when another, cooler cream touched his skin this time. His green eyes flew up to meet the black ones as the lips curled in a snarl. Harry flushed and looked back down at his exposed arm. Snape had rubbed another salve in and Harry didn't feel any pain at all this time. 

"Sir, about the Yule Ball, is a student allowed to ask a teacher to the ball?" Harry blurted out, flushing red immediately as the thin lips curled into a nasty snarl.

"Really, Potter, thinking that you aren't special enough! Do you have to drag a respected teacher down into this mess as well?" 

"It isn't that! Besides I haven't asked for any of this to happen to me! I would rather be a normal teenager then to be champion of Hogwarts? The other ones, they had wanted to compete but I don't. Why should I want to compete?" Harry knew it was useless to argue with Snape but he couldn't help but defend himself. 

The other male had gotten to his feet, releasing Harry's arm and leaning against the desk behind him with his arms crossed over his chest and scowling down at Harry. "Which teacher would you have asked then, Potter?" Snape finally asked with a nasty and downright evil sneer as Harry got to his feet. 

He could feel his blood pumping in his ear, something that always happened when he was near Snape. 

"It would have been you!" He said in an icy whisper, immediately regretting blurting it out when he saw the pale face of his teacher growing carefully blank as Snape whispered. 

"You intended to ask me to be your partner for the Yule Ball?" 

"Yes." 

"Why would you do such a ridiculous thing, Potter?" Snape's voice was dropping lower and Harry could tell the Potions Master was one the verge of throwing him out of the office. 

"Because I like you, alright?! Because I have been secretly in love with you since the beginning of term and because I foolishly hoped that you would say yes, throw all of your hatred for me aside and say yes. That you would go to the ball with me, that everybody would leave me alone and that for once everything would go the way I want it to go. That I can just be normal for a change…." Harry burst out angrily. 

"That is the exact reason, Potter, I cannot go with you to the ball, even had it been allowed." Much to Harry's surprise Snape's voice sounded patient and friendly. Harry had expected to be yelled at, hexed and then thrown from the office so the story could circle around the Slytherin common room to the amusement of them all.

"So it isn't allowed to ask a teacher to the ball?" Harry asked, feeling defeated now. 

"No, not in public at least…" Snape's dark eyes were twinkling oddly as Harry nodded, feeling disappointment well up within him. He should have known better. 

It was foolish to think that Snape, who hated him, would be persuaded to go to the Yule Ball with him. Snape would never like Harry the way Harry liked him. The way Snape's eyes were glittering Harry suspected that he would be blasted from the room and he asked. "Can I be dismissed, professor?" 

"Yes, Potter, you may." Snape dismissed him with a wave of his hand and as Harry walked away with lead in his shoes, he hoped that the Yule Ball would be good despite the fact that he didn't have a date.

The Yule Ball passed, much to Harry's relief through he didn't do much dancing. He had danced once and spent the rest of the night talking with Ron. Oddly enough when he had walked past Snape and Igor Karkaroff, the professor's dark eyes had been twinkling oddly again. 

Harry nodded at Cedrig Diggory who grinned at him and disappeared back down the marble staircase to say goodbye to Cho Chang. "Potter, a word!" Harry startled, as did the remaining students in the Entrance Hall as Snape shouted at him from his position at the bottom of the marble staircase.

Sighing and wondering if he was going to be punished now, Harry walked back downstairs. The older wizard had his arms crossed over his black covered chest and said. "Follow me!" 

Sharing a perplexed look with Diggory who was staring at him open mouthed, Harry shrugged and then followed the Potions Master back inside the Great Hall. Masking his surprise Harry took a longer step to keep up with the long strides of the Potions Master. 

They proceeded in silence and finally outside, back out into the grounds. Shivering, Harry drew his dress robes tighter around him. Snape led him away from the deserted path and Harry could feel fear beginning to form in his belly as he took slower steps. 

Snape seemed to realize that because he turned back to look at Harry. "Well, Potter, coming or not?" 

"Sir, what are you going to do?" Despite himself his voice was steady as Harry blinked, trying to get the harsh looking face into focus as Snape drew closer. He glanced up as Snape as the older wizard softly said his voice a low and private purr that made Harry's skin crawl. 

"You asked me to the Yule Ball, didn't you, Potter?" 

A breathless nod and then his hand was caught and Harry was yanked forward as he came into contact with the firm body of the older wizard as Snape glanced around before taking a few steps back so they were concealed and continued. "Then as part of the Ball, there is dancing involved. I have come to collect you upon your word…"

"You intent to hurt me and humiliate me because of what I have said…" Harry choked out, feeling tears form in his eyes despite himself. 

Snape frowned as Harry still looked up, unable to look away despite himself as a small part of him continued to hope as the professor said. "No, Potter, like I said, I have come to dance with you." 

One arm tightened around his waist which hadn't been there a moment ago and Harry startled as he was brought into close contact with Snape. The heat of the older wizard was intoxicating and Harry looked straight ahead, flushing a bit as he realized that he was staring at Snape's chest but then gentle fingers hooked underneath his chin and his gaze was forced up again. 

"You don't believe me." Snape stated, raising one eyebrow as Harry tried to deny it, but in fact he couldn't. 

In responds Snape began to hum a soft tune and slowly swayed on the spot, slowly guiding Harry who was forcing himself to relax. If Snape decided to humiliate Harry later he decided, he would remember these moments as the arm around his waist tightened and his magic calmed as Harry, knowing he could be hexed, laid his head against Snape's chest, feeling the soft heartbeat resounding in his ears and the voice vibrating in the chest. 

"Feels nice…" He finally said, smiling yet startling as fingers slowly began to move through his hair. 

"You would be that one person who would fall in love with their greasy git Potions Master, huh, Potter?" Harry could hear the amusement in the dark voice and he lifted his head from where he had laid it against Snape's chest.

"I suppose so. My luck of course would be if you were to fall in love with me as well…" Harry glanced up to see the dark eyes narrow before Snape looked away for a moment, seemingly uncomfortable and said. 

"Do you know, Harry that in the wizarding world there is such a thing as people who are magically compatible?" Snape's voice was soft and private. 

"What does that mean?" Harry asked, slightly confused. 

"It means that for every person in the wizarding world there is another person who is their direct opposite and companion. This can be a lover, a sister or a best friend. When such persons come together they fit together so well that in truth they cannot be separated."

"Something like a soul mate?" 

"I suppose you could call it that but this doesn't apply to lovers only, Harry." Snape glanced back down and Harry cocked his head to the side. He mulled it over in his head before he said. 

"You mean that we could be soul mates?" 

"They are called intendeds when they apply to people who might become lovers. It is a ….notion….I have been considering, yes. Between those persons deep feelings can resurface, such as loathing or love. There magic responds to one another, like your magic is doing to mine." 

"I thought that was just because of the fact that another powerful wizard was near me?" 

"Do you experience similar things when you are around Albus Dumbledore?" 

"No!" 

"Then that answers your question." Snape had stopped dancing and had stepped away, looking at Harry. 

Harry examined his feelings. It should have bothered him more then it really did but all he felt was a feeling of content, like he had found something he hadn't even known he had been searching for. 

"Are you going to act upon it then?" Harry took a step closer, smiling up at Snape who looked uncertain before a soft expression crossed his face and he answered. 

"In time yes, but for the moment, no. You are my student, Harry and not of age yet. You have a right to the life you want to lead and if there is a place for me in your life in time, then I will gladly accommodate to the request." Snape smiled at him and as Harry stood on his toes to press a kiss to the lips of his intended, he smiled. 

For every year after the Yule Ball Harry met Severus Snape after the ball and they danced together, easing their minds and their magic with the nearness and now when they danced together at the Graduation Ball, Harry thought back on the special Yule Ball and he was glad that he had plucked up the courage to ask Severus Snape to the ball for truly, Yule had never been more special. 

The end. 

**I hoped you liked it. I really had intended for it to be fluffy and everything but my muse wouldn't leave me alone. I hope you liked it. Review of course. **


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